Reference voltage generator for single-ended communication systems

ABSTRACT

In various embodiments, a reference voltage (V ref ) generator for a single-ended receiver in a communication system is disclosed. The V ref  generator in one example comprises a cascoded current source for providing a current, I, to a resistor, R b , to produce the V ref  voltage (I*R b ). Because the current source isolates V ref  from a first of two power supplies, V ref  will vary only with the second power supply coupled to R b . As such, the V ref  generator is useful in systems employing signaling referenced to that second supply but having decoupled first supplies. For example, in a communication system in which the second supply (e.g., V ssq ) is common to both devices, but the first supply (V ddq ) is not, the disclosed V ref  generator produces a value for V ref  that tracks V ssq  but not the first supply.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of this invention relate to an improved reference voltagegenerator having particular utility in sensing data in single-endedcommunication channels.

BACKGROUND

FIG. 1 shows a plurality of communication channels 14(x) forcommunicating data between a first device 10 and a second device 12. Inone embodiment the devices 10 and 12 can comprise discrete integratedcircuits, such as a Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM) anda microprocessor in one example. In this example, communication channels14(x) would typically comprise traces in a printed circuit board (PCB)15. Alternatively, devices 10 and 12 could comprise circuit blocks in aplanar configuration on a common substrate, with channels 14(x)comprising traces on the substrate. In yet another alternateconfiguration, the devices 10 and 12 might be integrated vertically(stacked) into a single package.

The communication channels 14(x) as illustrated are bidirectional,allowing data to be sent from device 10 to device 12 and vice versa.When data is sent from device 10 to device 12, the transmitters TX areactivated in device 10 and the receivers RX are activated in device 12.Likewise, when data is sent from device 12 to device 10, thetransmitters TX are activated in device 12 and the receivers RX areactivated in device 10.

As shown, each of the illustrated communication channels 14(x) are“single-ended,” meaning that the transferred data only appears at onepoint in a given receiver, RX. By contrast, other communication channelsin the art are fully differential, meaning that data and its complementare transferred on two traces, with both the true and complement datavalues being received at a differential receiver. See, e.g., U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/972,209, filed Jan. 10, 2008.

The received data at each receiver RX, typically implemented asamplifiers, is compared to a reference voltage, Vref. As is well knownin such single-ended applications, Vref comprises a threshold, such thatdata having a higher voltage than Vref is interpreted by the receiver RXas a logic ‘1’, while data having a lower voltage than Vref isinterpreted as a logic ‘0’. The comparison of the data and Vref at thereceivers is sometimes known in the art as a “pseudo differential”approach, owing to the fact the Vref is a mere threshold voltage, ratherthan a data complement.

Limited pin count, lower power, and the availability of legacy designwork motivate the effort to increase the bandwidth of, and hence prolongthe life of, single-ended signaling. While most single-ended signalinginnovation targets either noise reduction through encoding techniquesand supply insensitive circuit design, or bandwidth enhancement throughequalization, comparatively little attention been given to techniquesfor reference voltage (Vref) generation, an important parameter thatimpacts the voltage and timing margins of the communication channels.Previous approaches to Vref generation as have occurred historically inthe development of DDR SDRAM technologies are discussed in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/359,299 (“the '299 application”), filed Jan. 24,2009, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, andwith which familiarity is assumed.

Regardless of whether Vref is generated on the PCB 15 and sent to bothof devices 10 or 12, or whether Vref is generated by each of thosedevices internally, FIG. 2A provides a typical Vref generator 16comprising a voltage divider formed by resistances Ra and Rb. Asdiscussed in the '299 application, Ra and Rb can be adjustable, and suchadjustability can be of particular benefit when the signals transmittedon the channels 14 are referenced to either of the I/O power suppliesVddq or Vssq. As one skilled in the art will understand, I/O powersupplies Vddq and Vssq are isolated from the corresponding powersupplies Vdd and Vss, which are used internal to the devices 10 and 12.Thus, Vddq and Vssq typically only provide power to the off-chipinterface circuitry, whereas Vdd and Vss power the remainder of thecircuitry. Dividing the power domains in this manner helps to keep noisein the communication channels 14(x) from affecting internal signalingsuch as internal transmitted and received data signals DXx and DRxreferenced to the Vdd/Vss domain (FIG. 1). Vddq and Vssq are oftenshared between the devices 10 and 12 in a typical communication system,as shown in FIG. 1.

Power supply-referenced signaling is shown in FIG. 3. Circuit trace 25shows an example of Vddq-referenced signaling, in which data states aregenerated with respect to Vddq at the various transmitters TX, with alogic ‘1’ equaling Vddq (perhaps with slight negligible degradation δ),and logic ‘0’ equaling Vddq-Δ, which value will generally be higher thanVssq by an appreciable amount. Trace 25 is sometimes referred to as highcommon mode signaling. Circuit trace 26 shows an example ofVssq-referenced signaling, in which data states are generated withrespect to Vssq at the various transmitters TX, with a logic ‘0’equaling Vssq (again, perhaps with some negligible degradation δ), andlogic ‘1’ equaling Vssq+Δ, which value will generally be lower than Vddqby an appreciable amount. Trace 26 is sometimes referred to as lowcommon mode signaling. In either case, the power supply-referencedsignaling illustrated comprises a reduced swing signal, because whilethe voltage level for one of the logic states is essentially at thereferenced supply, the voltage level for the other logic states is wellshort of the non-referenced supply.

If Ra and Rb are adjustable in Vref generator 16, then Vref cangenerally be set to the middle of the two logic states to allow propersensing of the power supply-referenced signals at the receivers RX. Forexample, if Vddq-referenced signaling is used, Vref(h) can be set atapproximately Vddq−½Δ, ignoring any degradation; if Vssq-referencedsignaling is used, Vref(1) can be set at approximately Vssq+½Δ, againignoring any degradation.

The Vref generator 16 of FIG. 2A produces a reference voltage Vref thatscales with a difference in the I/O power supplies, such thatVref=m*(Vddq−Vssq), with m=(Rb/(Ra+Rb)). Scaling of Vref with respect toVddq and Vssq is beneficial when either Vddq-referenced orVssq-referenced signaling is used, because any perturbations on Vddq orVssq would tend to manifest in the generated Vref, thus facilitatingdata sensing at the receivers RX. Consider Vddq-referenced signaling: ifVddq dips low for a moment, then both the voltages for a logic ‘1’(essentially Vddq) and a logic ‘0’ (Vddq-Δ) generated at thetransmitters TX will also dip low. However, Vref (Vddq−½Δ) will likewisedip low, and therefore the perturbations in Vddq are canceled out at thereceivers RX. Similarly, consider Vssq-referenced signaling: if Vssqspikes high for a moment, then both the voltages for a logic ‘1’(Vssq+Δ) and a logic ‘0’ (essentially Vssq) generated at thetransmitters TX will also spike high. However, Vref (Vssq+½Δ) willlikewise spike high, and therefore the perturbations in Vssq arecanceled out at the receivers RX. In either case, because the generatedVref value tracks both Vddq and Vssq, either Vddq- or Vssq-referencedsignaling can be used.

Because certain degradations discussed in the '299 application can causethe shape of the “data eye” of the transmitted data to vary from ideallevels, the Vref resulting from the generator 16 of FIG. 2A may not beoptimal, and it may not be optimal to position Vref exactly at themidpoint between the voltages for a logic ‘0’ and ‘1’. To allow for moreparticularized tuning of Vref in light of such degradations, and asshown in FIG. 2B, the '299 application proposes a Vref generator 30which adds a scalable offset, b. An adjustable current source 32 is usedto adjust the offset b between the power supplies and Vref, whileadjustable resistors Ra and Rb are used to adjust the slope m betweenthe power supplies and Vref as in the prior art, such that Vref=m*(Vddq−Vssq)+b, or Vref=m*Vddq+b if Vssq is assumed as zero. Similarlyto FIG. 2A, the Vref value of FIG. 2B tracks both Vddq and Vssq, whichfacilitates sensing as discussed above.

While these previous approaches to Vref generation can be put to gooduse in a particular application, the inventor has noticed that they donot provide an optimal solution for every conceivable communicationsystem, particularly one in which one of power supplies Vddq or Vssq arenot shared between the devices 10 and 12. This disclosure provides animproved Vref generator design for such a communication system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art communication system using single-endeddata receivers which receives a reference voltage, Vref.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate previous circuits for generating Vref to beused by the single-ended data receivers in the prior art system of FIG.1.

FIG. 3 illustrates examples of Vddq-referenced and Vssq-referencesignaling.

FIG. 4 illustrates a communication system employing Vssq-referencedsignaling between two devices in which the system has a common Vssqsupply, but in which each device has its own decoupled Vddq supply(Vddq1 and Vddq2).

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a Vref generator for use in the system ofFIG. 4 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, in which theVref voltage generated tracks only the common Vssq supply, but not thedecoupled high supplies.

FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate different manners of incorporating the Vrefgenerators of FIGS. 5A and 5B into the system of FIG. 4, andspecifically shows a Vref generator shared between the devices (FIG. 6A)and dedicated generators internal to each of the devices (FIGS. 6B and6C).

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate different manners for tuning the disclosed Vrefgenerator.

FIGS. 9A-9C illustrate an alternative Vref generator suitable for use ina communication system having a common Vddq supply, but in which eachdevice has its own decoupled Vssq supply (Vssq1 and Vssq2).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An improved reference voltage (Vref) generator for a single-endedreceiver in a communication system is disclosed. The Vref generator inone example comprises a cascoded current source for providing a current,I, to a resistor, Rb, to produce the Vref voltage (I*Rb). Because thecurrent source isolates Vref from a first of two power supplies, Vrefwill vary only with the second power supply coupled to Rb. As such, theimproved Vref generator is useful in systems employing signalingreferenced to that second supply but having decoupled first supplies.For example, in a communication system in which the second supply (E.g.Vssq) is common to both devices, but the first supply (Vddq) is not, thedisclosed Vref generator produces a value for Vref that tracks Vssq butnot the first supply (Vddq). This improves the sensing ofVssq-referenced signals in such a system.

The inventor has realized that previous approaches to Vref generation,as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, are problematic in a communication systemin which one of the I/O power supplies are not shared between thedevices 10 and 12. Consider for example the communication system shownin FIG. 4. In this system, the low power supply, Vssq, is shared betweendevices 10 and 12, which may comprise a system ground coupled to evenfurther devices not shown. The high power supplies by contrast are notshared: device 10 uses Vddq1 while device 12 uses Vddq2. In an actualsystem, Vddq1 and Vddq2 can be different voltage values. This is notuncommon: for example, device 10 may comprise a microcontroller with a1.0 V supply, while device 12 comprises an SDRAM with a 1.2 V supply.Or, Vddq1 and Vddq2 may comprise the same voltage value but may still bedecoupled from each other. For example, different voltages generatorscan be used to generate Vddq1 and Vddq2, which might be indicated ifthere are concerns about noise from one device's supply affecting theother.

Regardless, when Vddq is decoupled between the devices in the system ofFIG. 4, it is sensible to employ Vssq-referenced signaling between thetwo devices 10 and 12 (FIG. 3, trace 26) because the two devices sharethe Vssq power supply in common. However, it can be problematic to useVref voltage generators such as those already described in FIGS. 2A and2B. The reason is such Vref generators produce a value for Vref thatscales with perturbations in both of the power supplies Vddq and Vssq.As pointed out earlier, this can be useful when both power supplies areshared between the two devices 10 and 12, because such perturbationsappearing in the transmitted data signal will be effectively canceledout by corresponding perturbations in Vref. But when one of the supplies(e.g., Vddq) is decoupled, this is not necessarily true.

The inventor has realized in a system such as that illustrated in FIG. 4that it is useful to generate a value for Vref which tracks the powersupply shared in common between the two devices 10 and 12 (Vssq), butwhich is otherwise independent of either of the values for the decoupledsupplies (Vddq1 and Vddq2). FIG. 5A shows one such solution in the formof a new Vref generator 50. As will be explained shortly, Vref generator50 produces a value for Vref that tracks the power supply shared betweendevices 10 and 12 (i.e., Vssq), but does not effectively track the otherdecoupled power supply voltages for the devices (i.e., Vddq1 or Vddq2)to any significant degree.

The Vref generator 50 illustrated in FIG. 5A comprises a cascodedcurrent source comprising two transistors in series between the highsupply and the Vref output: a current bias transistor 52 and a cascodetransistor 54, both of which comprise P-channel transistors in thisexample. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, this cascodearrangement of transistors 52 and 54 effectively operates as an idealcurrent source 56, capable of producing a current, I, injectable into aresistor, Rb. The magnitude of current I is controllable by the gatevoltage, Vadj, of current bias transistor 52. Assuming the P-channeltransistors have a threshold voltage of approximately 0.5 Volts, Vadj inone application might be adjustable from a range of 0 Volts to Vddq −0.5Volts, although of course this value will depend on other parameterssuch as Vcas and Rb. By contrast, the gate of cascode transistor 54,Vcas, is selected to ensure that both transistors 52 and 54 operate inthe saturation or active region. To achieve this, the gate of transistor54 (Vcas) will generally exceed the sum of the threshold voltage of thetransistor 54 plus the effective gate-to-source voltage of thetransistor 52 (Vt_(Vcas)+Veff_(Vadj)). The high output impedance of thecascode configuration is only partially dependent on the drain-to-sourceresistance of the transistor 54 (Rds_(Vcas)). Rather, the trueapproximate output impedance is actually the product of thetransconductance of the top transistor with the drain-to-sourceresistances of both top and bottom transistors(gm_(Vcas)Rds_(Vcas)Rds_(Vadj)). Because Vcas is non-varying and becauseit is desirable that it be stable, Vcas may be derived from a band gapgenerator (not shown). Vcas in one application might be approximatelyVddq −0.75 Volts. See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascode, whichis submitted in the Information Disclosure Statement filed with thisdisclosure, and which is incorporated herein by reference.

Because the cascoded arrangement of transistors 52 and 54 in the Vrefgenerator 50 can be modeled as an ideal current source 56 with aninfinite resistance, as shown in FIG. 5B, the magnitude of the highpower supply becomes irrelevant, and thus is not shown in FIG. 5B.Expressed mathematically, Vref via this cascoded arrangement will equal(I*Rb)+Vssq, and so will track Vssq as desired without reliance on thehigh supply.

Because the generated value for Vref does not track the high powersupply, it does not matter which voltage is used as the high powersupply for Vref generator 50. Such high power supply voltage cancomprise the I/O power supply for device 10 (Vddq1), the I/O powersupply for device 12 (Vddq2), or some power supply voltage perhapshaving no relation to either of the devices 10 or 12 (Vddq*).Recognizing this, FIG. 6A illustrates a Vref generator 50 locatedoutside of the two devices 10 and 12 that provides Vref to the receiversRX in both of the devices. In another configuration not illustrated, thecurrent source portion of the Vref circuitry (e.g., the cascode currentsource 56) is located external to the two devices 10 and 12, whileresistance Rb is located on each of devices 10 and 12. Again, any ofsupplies Vddq1, Vddq2, or Vddq* can be used to power the Vref generator50, as identified by the dotted lines in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 6B by contrast shows that each of devices 10 and 12 contains itsown Vref generator 50 powered by its own high power supply—Vddq1 fordevice 10, and Vddq2 for device 12. This method for Vref generation isperhaps most logical and convenient. First, Vref can be generated foreach of the devices' receivers internally, without the need to port Vrefto the devices from the outside, which reduces device pin counts.Moreover, because each of the devices 10 and 12 has its own Vrefgenerator 50, each of these generators can be independently tuned (e.g.,by Vadj). Independent tuning can be important when it is realized thatthe transmitters TX in each of the devices 10 and 12 may differ: theymay have different circuits, or different voltage values for their highpower supplies Vddq1 or Vddq2, for example.

FIG. 6C shows yet another arrangement, and illustrates that the highpower supply for Vref generator 50 need not necessarily comprise an I/Opower supply (such as Vddq1, Vddq2, or Vddq*), but can instead compriseanother external power supply voltage or even an internally-generatedpower supply voltage. For example, in device 10, the cascoded currentsource is coupled to Vdd1 (a power supply voltage generated internal todevice 10 and derived from I/O power supply voltage Vddq1) or Vdd1* (aninternal or external power supply voltage which is independent ofVddq1). The current source in device 12 is likewise coupled to eitherVdd2 or Vdd2*. Because the current source 56 isolates Vref from theupper power supply voltage, any of such other power supplies can be usedwith the same beneficial effects noted earlier. It may be advantageousin a particular application to use such other power supplies. Forexample, the internally-generated supply (e.g., Vdd1) might be higherthan other external supplies (Vddq1). This higher power supply voltagemight be of benefit in the Vref generator 50, because it would provideadditional headroom for the operation of the transistors 52 and 54 inthe current source 56.

Determining an appropriate value for Rb in Vref generator 50 requiresseveral considerations, and presents a trade-off between power andresponse time. The power drawn by Vref generator 50 is I²Rb or Vref²/Rb,assuming Vssq is zero. The response time is proportional to Rb*C, whereC equals any parasitic capacitance coupled to Vref (see FIGS. 5A and5B), which will primarily comprise the input capacitance of thereceiver(s) to which Vref is sent, the output capacitance of the Vrefgenerator, and any capacitance inherent in any Vref routing. Having asmall response time is beneficial to allow the Vref generator to producea Vref value which can quickly track high-frequency Vssq-basedperturbations in the input data to the receiver, RX. Larger values forRb will cause Vref generator 50 to draw less power, but will causelonger response times. Conversely, smaller values for Rb will causehigher power draws, but faster response times. If the parasiticcapacitance C is relatively high, Rb may need to be limited, despite theconcomitant higher power draw.

Determination of an appropriate Rb also requires require considerationof the desired value for Vref. For example, if Vssq-referenced signalingis used, with data signals varying from approximately 0 V to 400 mV,then a midpoint value for Vref of 200 mV is generally reasonable.Because Vref generally equals I*Rb, then either of parameters Rb or I(via current source 56) can be altered to vary the magnitude of Vref,subject also to the considerations of power draw and responsiveness justdiscussed. According to one calculation, if Vref=200 mV, and assuming apower draw P=100 μW, a current I of 500 μA (where I=P/Vref), a frequencyf=1 GHz, and a parasitic capacitance of C=50 fF, a value of Rb ofapproximately 400 kΩ was calculated as suitable. Of course, this valuefor Rb is merely one example, and as one skilled in the art will realizeother values will also be possible taking into account thepreviously-noted considerations of power draw, responsiveness, and Vrefmagnitude.

Rb may comprise a traditional passive resistor, such as a polysiliconresistor, or may be comprised of one or more active elements, such astransistors. Rb can also be adjustable allowing Vref to be tuned, andcan be made adjustable in any manner known in the art. For example, anda shown in FIG. 7, a resistor network 60 can be used, with various of nresistances Rb(x) included in or discluded from Rb in accordance withtheir digital control signals, X1-Xn.

Vref can also be adjusted in Vref generator 50 by adjusting the current,I, that the cascoded current source 56 provides. As already noted,adjustment can come from adjusting the voltage, Vadj, at the gate of thecurrent bias transistor 52. Because current bias transistor 52 comprisesa P-channel transistor, one skilled in the art will recognize thatincreasing I will require decreasing Vadj. Such analog control of Vadjcan occur in any well-known manner, and no particular manner isimportant. Alternatively, and as shown in FIG. 8, the current I can beadjusted by replacing the current bias transistor 52 with a network 65of current bias transistors 52(1)-52(n), each selectable via digitalcontrol signals Y1-Yn. In this example, each of the transistors 52 canhave different width-to-length (W/L) ratios, and therefore providediffering contributions to the overall current, I. For example, eachtransistor 52 can be made exponentially bigger (W/L=1, 2, 4, 8, etc.),which would allow for precise control of current I via the controlsignals Y1-Yn.

FIGS. 9A-9C shows an alternative communication system and design for theVref generator 50′. In this system, and as shown in FIG. 9A, the highsupply (Vddq) is shared between the two devices, but the low supplies(Vssq1 and Vssq2) are decoupled from each other. Such a system wouldlogically employ Vddq-referenced (high common mode) signaling asdiscussed earlier. In this system, it is desirable for the Vrefgenerator to produce a value for Vref that tracks the common supply(Vddq), but that does not track either of the decoupled low supplies(Vssq1 or Vssq2). This requires modification to the Vref generator 50′as shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C. The design and operation of Vref generator50′ is essentially the same as the Vref generator 50 discussed earlier,except that the polarity of the circuit has been changed accordingly:N-channel transistors 52 and 54 are used, and these now appear adjacentto the uncommon low supply. One skilled in the art will understand thepolarity difference between Vref generators 50 and 50′ and so suchdifferences will not be belabored. The value for Vref produced by Vrefgenerator 50′ is Vref=Vddq−(I*Rb), which tracks Vddq as desired in theVddq-referenced system of FIG. 9A.

Although a cascoded arrangement of transistors 52 and 54 is a preferredcurrent source 56 to supply the current I and to isolate the generatedVref voltage from the upper supply due to the inherently high outputimpedance, it should be understood that other current sources could beused as well. For example, a single transistor could be used to supplythe current I, but in this case, the output impedance of the transistorwould need to be accounted for when setting the Vref voltage level(e.g., Vref=I*(Rb∥Rout)). The use of cascoded transistors shouldtherefore not be understood as the exclusive means for constructingcurrent source 56, and different types of current sources might be morelogical in differing applications, perhaps dependent on the operatingvoltage, power draw, responsiveness, and/or Vref level considerationspreviously discussed.

While the Vref generators disclosed herein comprised metal oxidesemiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), the Vref generator isnot so limited. The same functionality, including the cascoded currentsource, is achievable using bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) as well.Still other embodiments of the Vref generator can be implemented in aBiCMOS process, with one of the two transistors in the cascoded currentsource comprising a MOSFET and the other a BJT.

Other modifications to the disclosed technique and circuitry comprisegenerating more than one reference voltage. For example, for data havingthree logic states for example, two Vref voltages (Vref1 and Vref 2)could be generated to allow each of the three logic states to be sensed.By using two different Vref generators, or by dividing the resistor Rbinto two resistors, the two Vref values can be generated, both of whichwill vary with Vssq, but which will remain independent of Vddq asdesired.

While some implementations have been disclosed, it should be understoodthat the disclosed circuitry can be achieved in many different ways tothe same useful ends as described herein. In short, it should beunderstood that the inventive concepts disclosed herein are capable ofmany modifications. To the extent such modifications fall within thescope of the appended claims and their equivalents, they are intended tobe covered by this patent.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication system, comprising: a receiverpowered by a first power supply voltage and a second power supplyvoltage, the receiver to receive input data from a communication channeland to receive a reference voltage, the input data is to be referencedto the first power supply voltage, the input data having a reduced swingsignal in which one logic state comprises the first power supply voltageand another logic state comprises a voltage between the first powersupply voltage and the second power supply voltage, the receiver is tocompare the input data to the reference voltage; and a generator toproduce the reference voltage, the reference voltage being independentof the second power supply.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein thegenerator comprises a series connection of a current source to produce acurrent I and a resistance R, wherein the reference voltage comprisesI*R.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the current source is adjustableto adjust the current I.
 4. The system of claim 2, wherein theresistance R is adjustable.
 5. The system of claim 2, wherein the secondpower supply voltage is coupled to the current source, and wherein theresistance is coupled to the first power supply voltage.
 6. The systemof claim 2, wherein a third power supply voltage is coupled to thecurrent source, and wherein the resistance is coupled to the first powersupply voltage.
 7. A communication system, comprising: a first devicecomprising a transmitter coupled to a communication channel, thetransmitter to transmit data on the communication channel that isreferenced to a first power supply voltage, the transmitter beingpowered by a second power supply voltage and the first power supplyvoltage, the data having a reduced swing signal in which one logic statecomprises the first power supply voltage and another logic statecomprises a voltage between the first power supply voltage and thesecond power supply voltage; and a second device comprising a receivercoupled to the communication channel, and a generator to produce areference voltage for the receiver, the reference voltage is to dependon the first power supply voltage but does not depend on any other powersupply voltage associated with the first device and the second device.8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first power supply voltagecomprises a system ground for the first and second devices.
 9. Thesystem of claim 7, wherein the reference voltage is approximately at amidpoint between voltages for each of a plurality of logic states in thedata.
 10. The system of claim 7, wherein the generator comprises acurrent source for isolating the reference voltage from the second powersupply voltage.
 11. The system of claim 7, wherein the current sourcecomprises a cascoded current source.
 12. A communication system,comprising: a first device powered by a first power supply voltage and asecond power supply voltage; a second device powered by the first powersupply voltage and a third power supply voltage; at least onecommunication channel between the first device and the second device tocommunicate data; and at least one generator to produce a referencevoltage to receive the communicated data at either or both of the firstdevice and the second device, the reference voltage to depend on thefirst power supply voltage but to be independent of the second powersupple voltage and the third power supply voltage.
 13. The system ofclaim 12, wherein the communicated data is referenced to the first powersupply voltage.
 14. The system of claim 12, wherein there is only onegenerator to produce the reference voltage, and wherein the referencevoltage is input to both of the first device and the second device. 15.The system of claim 12, further comprising a first generator in thefirst device to produce a first reference voltage to receive thecommunicated data at the first device, and a second generator in thesecond device to produce a second reference voltage to receive thecommunicated data at the second device.
 16. The system of claim 12,wherein a value of the second power supply voltage and the third powersupply voltage are the same.
 17. The system of claim 12, wherein the atleast one generator comprises a serial connection between a currentsource and a resistor.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein either of thesecond power supply voltage or the third power supply voltage is coupledto the serial connection at the current source, and wherein the firstpower supply voltage is coupled to the serial connection at theresistor.
 19. The system of claim 12, wherein the current sourcecomprises a serial connection of two transistors.
 20. The system ofclaim 12, wherein the at least one generator is powered by the firstpower supply voltage and a fourth power supply voltage.
 21. The systemof claim 20, wherein the fourth power supply is generated internally toeither or both of the first device and the second device.